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When we first started out living off the grid we had no idea that learning how to build a wind generator would turn out to be the answer for our home energy needs. Fifteen years ago when we began, most everyone told us that the only answer was to install solar panels, and it would be expensive... but we persevered and came up with our own unique solutions to the problems of off grid living. Learning how to build a wind generator will do you no good if you do not get it in the right location. Can you spot what is wrong with this chosen installation? That's right, it should be above the houses to capture the wind effectively.Since we are on the subject, let's start with site selection. “Do I have the right site to build a wind generator or am I just wasting my time.” This is the most frequently asked questions that we get. There is no simple answer really, only you can decide if this project is right for you.First off, go outside and have a look around at your property. For large landowners this may take a while but it is well worth it. What you are looking for is a bit of higher ground that is still relatively close to your home. Our family lives in fairly rugged hilly country and searching out a good wind generator site took quite a bit of time. The basic formula is this- you want a site where you can build a wind generator that will be 15 feet above the nearest obstruction within 300 feet.
Some of you with smaller properties will have to contend with obstructions on neighbors' properties as well. This is only a guideline but it has served us well.This way you can calculate how big of wind generator tower you are going to need and figuring out where you are going to put it.
One other component of site selection is the prevailing winds. Where do your winds come from normally? This is very important. You may have obstructions to the north, but it really doesn't matter because all of your winds come from the south and the west.
I will give you a better example that will help you the most in learning about prevailing winds and how they affect your site selection.
You want a site that is windy right?In our own situation our prevailing winds come from the northwest mainly, so we figured out the best location for our first wind generator so they would capture those winds. We cleared a few trees and that was all it took, now this wind generator is our main energy producer. It does a poor job of capturing the wind energy from any other direction when this happens.You see we also get frequent winds from the north and the south, with the occasional storm coming from the east. What to do?What we decided to do was to build a wind generator that would capture all of this wind energy we were missing. To the north end of our property is a beaver pond and it is within easy walking distance of our home, and it is windy there. The north wind roars down on us most of the fall and during storms in winter, so we built a wind generator at this location too. It only needed a tower that was 20 feet high since it was right by the water of the pond, which really kept the workload and cost down.And finally, what to do about the south and west winds. All we could do was to put up a wind generator directly by our home. It does not spin very often but when the warming breezes of spring start to blow, or those easterly storms blow in from the Atlantic we get all the energy transferred to our off grid system.The next consideration you need to make is your own abilities. “Do I really have the abilities to do this, and how hard is it?” This is the second most asked question we get. To tell you the truth, we have had customers who are in grade school (about 11 or 12) right up to retirees in their 80's learn how to build a wind generator of their own, and we have helped each and everyone achieve their goals.Minimum requirements would be >> - normal household tools
- good detailed plans to learn how to build a wind generator
- living off the grid installation guide
- a good helper to hold various parts while they are constructed
- a good attitude
That is really all it takes beyond getting the parts you need, which we will cover in our next article.You can do it, and we are right here to help you when you need it. Whether your goal is living off the grid or a grid tie system, or just a supplementary backup system for when the power goes out we can help you learn how to build a wind generator.
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